Globalization and Its Impact on Human Rights

Prof . Victor John. K

Assistant Professor in History
P.G & Research Department of History

Govt Arts College, Tiruvannamalai

Tamil Nadu, India
Email: victorkvj@yahoo.com
 “Our primary concerns are that globalization should benefit all countries and should raise
the welfare of all people throughout the world. This implies what it should raise the rate of
economic growth in poor countries and reduce world poverty, and that it should not increase
inequalities or undermine socio-economic security within countries”

-World Commission on Social Dimension of Globalization (2004)

 What do you mean by globalization?

Globalization could more appropriately be defined as Globe + Alliance = Global Alliance i.e
globalization.

In simple we can say that globalization is an alliance between different countries of the globe and
making them as one entity.
We all know that a globe is a replica of earth. The shape of the earth is spherical and it
is not round. That means it is not full and it has vacuum in it.

 Similarly you take the interior of the earth which has many layers and at the centre it is
ever boiling molten magma and at anytime it may come out and could cause innumerable
and irrecoverable damage to all living and non living organism.
 Same is the case with globalization; it can burst out at any time and cause huge
damages to the human beings.

 In general, globalization means free movement of capital, goods, technology, ideas

and people.

Advocates of globalization says globalization will promote:

 direct foreign investment

 use of the technology

 access of developing countries to export their produce in the developed countries.

 consumer durables, at relatively much lower prices.

 introduces faster diffusion of knowledge and thus enables developing countries to

raise the level of production and productivity.

 reduces costs of transport and communication.

 Impact of Globalization on Human Rights

 The idea of people’s rights and individual rights has been recognized to some degree in all
human civilizations.

 Human Rights are a global phenomenon. Rights are inherent in nature and have come up
in our society over the years.

 Since the establishment of the United Nations Organizations in 1945 the promotion and
the protection of human rights became a global concern.

 Both the advocates and the critics of globalization agree on the fact that human rights are
in some way or the other adversely affected by globalization
 Impact on Cultural Rights and Benefits from Scientific
Progress

 The right to enjoy culture to participate in cultural life and to benefit from technological and
scientific progress form the foundation of article 15 of International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights 1966( ICESCR).

 Technology is power, and the power is never neutral. It becomes the carrier of those
systems and ideologies (values and cultures) within which it has been nurtured.

 The tendency is to accept the efficiency with productivity without any concern for
compassion or justice
 Impact on Right to Have an Adequate Standard of
Living

 Globalization pushed workers from the organized sector to swell the ranks of workers
in the unorganized sector.

 Globalization has accelerated the process of proletarianization of labour.

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 The problem of unemployment, casualization, lower wages, part-time jobs….

 Less or no security in jobs have manifested themselves in a much greater degree.

 Increased the economic inequality, due to advent of Multi National Enterprises

operating in developing countries, who are internationally competitive and
economically sound .

 There is unanimity among economists about a rise in inequality or relative

deprivation. There has been significant increase in difference in wage/salary incomes
between those in rural and urban sector.
 The natural rights of the tribals on forest land and forests are being progressively appropriated
by Indian corporations and MNCs, thus causing serious disadvantage to both income and
employment of tribals.
 As s result of globalization and liberalization, a systematic process of exploitation of tribal
communities has been unleashed.
 In many places tribals have been displaced irrespective of their protest, to meet the
requirements of MNCs
 Globalization created poverty in many parts of the world. The rich are getting richer
and the poor are getting poorer.

 A quarter of the world’s population remain in sever poverty.

 People lose their natural coping mechanisms, leaving homes where they were once
able to earn, live and protect themselves.

 It forces people in the developing nations towards homelessness, slum dwellings,

finding new way of livelihood which put them in difficult situation...

 It forces people to deal with higher cost of living and irregular job opportunities..

 This in a global economy which created shameful inequalities, an inexcusable failure

of national and international policies.
 About 1.3 billion people live on income of less than US $ 1 a day globally.

 Nearly a billion people are illiterate.

 More than a billion lack access to safe water and over 800 million go hungry or face food
scarcity.

 India still has the world’s largest number of poor people in a single country. Nearly 38%
of its population (380 million) is poor.

 Of its nearly 1 billion inhabitants, an estimated 260.3 million are below the poverty line, of
which 193.2 million are in the rural areas and 67.1 million are in urban areas.

 Globalization leads to a more unequal distribution of income among countries and within
countries.
 Poverty may then be described as a denial of chances to lead healthy, decent

standard of living with healthy food, freedom and dignity.

 Impact on Right to Freedom

 Article 1 & 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states about the
kinds of freedom a global citizen supposed to enjoy in the society where he lives.
 In the global world, forms of governments are decided by economy. Economic
greediness threatens the life and liberties of people.

Rights to Freedom of Expression

 Globalization compels the governments in every region of the world apply restrictive
laws and regulations and other controls on media freedom.

 In many countries’ industrial giants owns the medias and publishes the news which
reflects the partial views of the capitalists and attempts to garner support for them.

 Even the media coverage of worldwide human rights violations is biased.

 The freedom and neutrality of the medias are ceased to exist now days due to
globalization
 Impact on Right Against Exploitation

Child Abuse

 There is no way to enumerate the various ways in which children around the world are
economically exploited and physically mistreated
 According to an report of ILO, there are nearly 80 million children under 15 working as
labourers.
 The children are forced to work in industries to meet the global requirements.
 The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the UN General Assembly on Nov
20, 1989, recognizes the rights of the children.
 Violence Against Women
 Women’s right to live free from violence is upheld by international agreements such as
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW),
especially through General Recommendations 12 and 19, and the 1993 UN Declaration on
the Elimination of Violence against Women.

 Amnesty International has questioned the implementation of trade and investment policies
which has contributed to increasing economic inequality and vulnerability of women to
violence (Amnesty International, 2006).

 Globalization increases violence against women which affects the lives of millions of women
world wide, in all socio-economic and educational classes.

 It cuts across cultural and religious barriers, impeding the right of women to participate fully
in the society.

 The violence includes physical aggression, such as blows of varying intensity, sexual abuse
and rape, psychological violence through insults, humiliation, coercion, blackmail, economic
or emotional threats, and control over speech and action..

 Sexual harassment and intimidation at work and elsewhere, trafficking in women and forced
prostitution for gaining new business orders or projects.
 Violence Against Women
 It discriminates women in terms of wages too. They are not equally paid for the same
job as men do.

 Women are forced to work uncomplainingly at any allotted difficult task but poorly paid.

 98% of wealth on earth is in the hands of men, and only 2% belongs to women.
According to Women‟s Human Rights Platform, held in Madrid in 2001, the 225 richest
"persons" in the world, who are men, own the same capital as the 2,500 million poorest
people. Of these 2,500 million poorest people, 80% are women.

 The forces of globalization and market are influencing the family structure and marriage
norms to a large extent.

 Globalization is an over-exposure to, and increased presence of worldly pleasures and

luxury items, which are now essential items of dowry in many developing countries in
Asia.

 Changes in culture due to globalization creates violence against women in a society

which is normally male dominated.
Exploitation of Labours

 The globalization brought it with the concept of high wages for highly skilled and hire
and fire, in the industries which are known as capital-intensive.

 Generally, the laws enacted by many countries mandating the right to a safe
workplace, workers compensation, unemployment insurance, fair labour standards,
collective bargaining rights, social security, along with laws prohibiting child labour
and guaranteeing a minimum wage.

 Article 7 of ICESCR states that state parties shall recognize the rights of every one to
the enjoyment of just and favourable conditions of work.

 The workers tend to work longer hours with unhygienic and insecure conditions.
Further, globalization failed to recognize and protect the rights of most workers in the
private sector to organize labor unions,
 Impact on Right to Health
 Globalization which brought industrialization along with it, aimed to get maximum
profit and totally ignored the health and safety of people.

 It also commercialized the medical field.

 The fact is that the doctors who own small clinics and multi specialty hospitals which
have the imported medical devices don’t show any sympathy towards the patients
and denies treating them; and in many cases the patients were left to die as they
failed to pay the medical bills.

 Most of the industrialized nations, do not give subsidized health care to all sects of
its citizens.
 Right to Have Healthy Environment

 Globalization failed to meet the needs and fulfill the requirements of protection of the
environment and creating a world of healthy environment by stressing for the
enactment of various national and international laws.

 The environmental rights, controversially grant each individual the right to exist in a
clean and healthy environment, and duly charge the state with the task of ensuring
that environmental conditions are kept in a way suitable for human existence

 The environmental pollution and global warming trends can cause a significant global
climate changes.

 Human society is highly dependent on the earth’s climate.

 Climate pattern and human adaptation determine the availability of food, fresh water,
and other resources for sustaining life
 Conclusion
 Globalization has its winners and losers with the expansion of trade, market, foreign
investment, developing countries have seen the gaps among themselves widen.

 In many cases, liberalization has been accompanied by greater inequality and people are
left trapped in utter poverty.

 Although globalization of the economy has been characterized as a locomotive for

productivity, opportunity, technological progress, and uniting the world, it ultimately causes
increased impoverishment, social disparities and violations of human rights .

 The vulnerable are the poor, marginalized and backward sections of the society, who
were assured by the welfare state’s constitution, right to live with human dignity.

 Thus, Globalization based on universalistic humanistic values and principles is the need
of the hour in order to foster Democracy, Development and Dignity